The present disclosure generally relates to rock crushing equipment. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a cone crusher including a counterweight that rotates along with an eccentric and includes two separate oil chambers.
Rock crushing systems, such as those referred to as cone crushers, generally break apart rock, stone or other material in a crushing gap between a stationary element and a moving element. For example, a conical rock crusher is comprised of a head assembly including a crushing head that gyrates about a vertical axis within a stationary bowl indirectly attached to a main frame of the rock crusher. The crushing head is assembled surrounding an eccentric that rotates about a fixed main shaft to impart the gyrational motion of the crushing head which crushes rock, stone or other material in a crushing gap between the crushing head and the bowl. The eccentric can be driven by a variety of power drives, such as an attached gear, driven by a pinion and countershaft assembly, and a number of mechanical power sources, such as electrical motors or combustion engines.
The exterior of the conical crushing head is covered with a protective or wear-resistant mantle that engages the material that is being crushed, such as rock. stone, or other material. The bowl, which is indirectly mechanically fixed to the main frame, is fitted with a bowl liner. The bowl liner and bowl are stationary and spaced from the crushing head. The bowl liner provides an opposing surface from the mantle for crushing the material. The material is crushed in the crushing gap between the mantle and the bowl liner.
The gyrational motion of the crushing head with respect to the stationary bowl crushes rock, stone or other material within the crushing gap. Generally, the rock, stone or other material is fed onto a feed plate that directs the material toward the crushing gap where the material is crushed as it travels through the crushing gap. The crushed material exits the crushing chamber through the bottom of the crushing gap. The size of the crushing gap determines the maximum size of the crushed material that exits the crushing gap.
In currently available cone crushers, a supply of lubricating oil is directed to the bushing located between the eccentric and the stationary main shaft and to the bushing located between the head assembly and the eccentric. The lubricating oil drains through holes that are formed in the crushing head and eventually drops onto a moving counterweight that is attached to the eccentric. As the rotational speed of the eccentric and the attached counterweight increases, oil is flung around the interior of the counterweight. Some of this oil may escape out through seals within the cone crusher, which can result in the need for replacing the lost oil.
The counterweight has two main functions in a cone crusher. First, the counterweight functions to balance the centrifugal forces of the head and eccentric. Second, the counterweight functions to create a path and seal oil between the gyrating head and the stationary main frame.
Often, positive pressure air is added to the internals of the cone crusher to keep dust from being pulled in through the seals. The positive air pressure can amplify oil leakage in current designs.